NO MORE COLD MUMSNETTERS!

[KungFuBustle]

Right, don't really know how to start this but I'm raging. I see over and over on here people struggling with heating, sitting cold after kids have gone to bed, waking up in cold houses and it makes me want to stamp my feet and scream. Apologies if I'm not articulate or organised. I just want to do something.

No judging, please share anything you feel may help, no matter how small. Also feel free to have a whinge. DS is at school and I'm cold now, and I'm fucking miserable. I don't mean to patronise, some of this may seem so obvious to some, but if one person is a wee bit warmer I'm a happy bunny.

Here goes.

U Switch We might as well be getting the cheapest deal.

Warm Home Discount You may be surprised by who can apply for this. A lot of providers have their own criteria and it's broader than you think.

Which Guide to Free Insulation Self explanatory but also has some information about DIY.

Draught Excluders - I have these on every door now. If you're turning down radiators or trying to save by only heating one room they are brilliant. You don't have to buy them. I cut up old trousers up the crotch. Stuffed with old sheets and sewed up. You can use newspaper at a pinch.

Curtains - Thick lined curtains on windows are great. They are also expensive. If you can forgo colour scheme charity shops have AMAZING deals. They might not fit in with the room but lord they keep the heat in. I've also fixed them over front and back doors. Our kitchen has no heat source but since covering the back door I can no longer see my own breath when I walk in.

Tinfoil - Wrap in round cardboard and whack it behind your radiators. You can buy special stuff for this, but if like me what wasn't an option this is better than nothing. We noticed a real difference. I did downstairs, doing upstairs today.

Builders Plastic - Not cheap but cheaper than double glazing. Tape it over windows and it can keep the heat in and the cold out. I haven't been able to do this but another MNer mentioned it and it seemed a very clever idea on a budget.

Cashmere - I wanted to laugh when someone said this, like I can afford cashmere. Keep an eye out in the right charity shops and you will. I've not been so lucky yet but I know other MNrs have. Real wool jumpers and throws are a great find too. Doesn't matter if it's not our colour (Don't tell the S&B board!) warm's warm.

Candles Heater Instructions in the link. Building mine today. Candles in a room can also give an impression of warmth. I pay £1 for 100 tea lights at ikea.

Slow Cookers - I made porridge in my slow cooker last night. Soon as we got up I had a bowl of porridge in DS's hands and some hot squash. He also gets a hot squash as soon as he comes in from school. Cheap and warming.

Hats - I'm not much of a knitter. But if you want a hat making PM me. They're usually wonky, not stylish, but if you're cold and want one for wearing around the house I'll make you one. I can also make little ones for children.

Crikey, this was longer than I expected. Please share any warm tips you may have. I'm sorry so many of us are cold, and I'm sorry I can't just pay all of our heating bills and we all have warm Winters.

Doing it now Tic
Gosh we're a stylish bunch.

Definitely keep your feet really warm - primark do good bed sock type socks and they last for years. Wear them with slippers or over the top of your normal socks. Lemon and ginger tea is really warming, and if you get a flask you can boil the kettle once and fill up the flask - don't need boiling water for herbal tea.

Can she lobby her MP Barfa. Mn is good for retweets and raising awareness.

Good luck to you Unicorns with TTC - I hope it will happen for you soon.
I do remember those days, but was so fortunate to go on to have my 2 DC.

Just had to add - EXERCISE!!!! If you are stuck in, in the evening, get an exercise DVD, or go for a run if you can get out - I always find the house far too hot after exercising!

If you have any south facing rooms, when it's sunny leave the doors open for that room, when you go out in the day, to allow any solar gain to heat up the rest of the house.

we got a roll of stick on insulating stuff in the pound shop that we put around all windows and doors.

we have rugs in every room so that we aren't walking on cold floors.

spare duvet that lives on the sofa and we snuggle up under it.

leave the oven door open when you've finished cooking it really does help to warm up the kitchen.

we never put the ch on, we have oil free radiators in the lounge and bathroom that get put on when needed for short periods to heat the room and this has really lowered our bills.

hot water bottles in bed.

layers in bed, we have 2 duvets on ours, dsc have a duvet and several fleece blankets that they can add if needed.

keep your dressing gown next to your bed so that you can put it straight on.

dp says have sex that keeps him warm

What a lovely thread!. Will have to try some of the tips mentioned as gas is on emergency again and wont last til monday (payday).
Barfa thought companies werent supposed to cut off gas when there are young children in the house? Im nearly sure thats right.

I don't think it'll do much good, tbh. I've dealt with the company before, and they are completely inflexible. My DH is part of a community group, and he is trying to get the contract changed. so that the village is supplied by a different company. One with a governing body.

But thank you

stephanie, I thought so too, but because they don't have an ombudsman, and they aren't a mains gas company they can do whatever they want. And of course, £500 is going to bankrupt them

Forgot to say in op. Once you've cooked/baked using your oven leave the door open so the heat can get into the house. Even though you've switched it off there's heat in there you've paid for. Might as well have it.

If you have those clickable gel heat pads, boil them to reset just before you go to bed and they stay warm for a good while. Then you still have a click left when you wake up in the morning.

Maybe MN should do a 'no family should be cold' campaign. No differentiating between types of family of course but those with young children, or with someone with chronic illnesses certainly need to have an extra degree.

I'd second the suggestion of crochet if you've ever wanted to. Granny squares are easy to learn from youtube (I know this), it builds quickly and wool is inexpensive from charity shops (our Age Concern has a great colour range). Acrylic is warm enough and dries quickly. I took it up a year ago and it's lovely to sit under as you add more. In fact my DDs pull it over them and I have to keep turning which bit is on them so I can keep going.

Even if you're not keen on the candle heater I find burning 2-3 candles takes the nip off a closed room.

I've been so cold I can't sleep and I found folding a dry towel and making a U shape for my head to tuck into at night helped.

Do you know the brand name Soup? Sounds great.

Cheap neck warmer. Get an old t shirt and lay it down flat. Cut through both layers from under the armpit to the other side so that you have a rectangle which opens into a tube and voila! You now have a soft neck warmer.

No sewing required.

I had just got really cold before reading this thread - I'm a naturally cold person, especially when sitting still before a computer screen.

Things I find that help:

Make sure your jumper covers the small of your back - I'm tall, and a lot of my jumpers ride up when I'm sitting down, so my lower back gets exposed. It really makes me cold.

I've just put on an extra fleece layer with a hood, with hood up (who cares, no one can see me!) and made up a small hot water bottle which is now on my lap, tucked my under layer in so it's properly covering my lower back, and made (another) cup of tea. I'm lovely and warm now, even my hands.

Also I have these: Croc slippers and they really are the warmest slippers I've ever had. They're tough, hardwearing and good as new after at least 2 years of non-stop wear. They're expensive, but Christmas is coming up!

Old woollen jumper that can't be worn but you haven't yet thrown? Hot wash so the wool felts, then cut the arms off and make a hole just under the cuff. Get your needle and thread and sew up and over around the hole. Hey presto - wrist warmers.

Be safe though with the oven door and little ones.
And just wondering won't the heat dissipate anyway over the evening and warm house a little anyway?
But, yes, I'm sure opening door would facilitate this and perhaps create more useful amount of warming in shorter period.
I also leave a bath in until the water has given off it's heat to the room/house rather than run it out straight away - but again not something to do if you have under 5's around (just in case - I know, I worry too much)

I do that with the oven. If the washing machine is going as well and I shut the kitchen door I stay quite warm in there.

Have just applied for the warm front grant OP.

There's no brand - they are gel pads with a little metal bit in them that you click to start a chemical reaction. You can get them all over (Tescos had them). Often sold as hand warmers. You have to boil them to rest the chemicals [technical]

We did this when our boiler broke a few years back. The children had some thing warm to go to bed with and they still have the chance to warm them up again with the "click"

Uri that is genius

I am trying the candle heater right now, have just got back from the garden centre with pots. It's not doing much yet but the pots are a bit damp as they were kept outside at the GC, would that be impeding it I wonder?

Things I swear by:

Layers - pure wool and cashmere. I am by no means well-off but have amassed a large collection of pure knits via Ebay, end of season sales and Woolovers. You can't overstate the amazingness of wool.

Scarves (again, wool or cashmere) are essential. I am using a snood this year as no trailing ends. I bought it at the beginning of September and it's barely been off me since.

Wristwarmers / fingerless gloves.

Flannelette bed sheets - I got us all full bedding sets on BOGOF from Woolworths (online) last autumn. Don't use anything else now until spring. It feels cosy even when you first get in. The downside is it makes getting up in the morning incredibly difficult.
Also got fleecy mattress protectors.

Slanket for evening once DC are away in bed and I'm ensconced on the sofa. They are amazing - I never ever have the heat on in the evening. They wrap you head to toe and are so voluminous it's easy to tuck hands in.

Slippers, always. Again, sheepskin or wool are many times better than synthetic, but they are expensive; however you can buy sheepskin insoles very cheaply on Ebay. I think I paid £3-4 for the ones I bought for my Converse and my outdoor boots. Makes a huge difference.

KungFu I also have those clickable gel pads. If you Google 'Gel Hand warmers' you'll find loads.

They're brilliant - good for pre-warming slippers, putting in your pockets when you go out - anything that a hot water bottle is too big for.

Good safety point there Juggling ds is older so that didn't cross my mind. Sorry.

Well I'm rubbish. My pots don't fit together, I thought I had many in the shed but I gave them away as I wasn't using them. Now living through Spooky as I am very keen to hear how these work. I reckon once it dries a bit you'll feel it more.

Sainsburys do lovely thermals. £7 for leggings, £6 for a camisole, £7 for a long sleeved top. I use them for layering in winter and they also get used when we go xalp

Bubble Wrap your windows. Bubble wrap is your friend. You can order a 50 m roll on ebay for around £17. You need the large air bubbles, not the tiny small bubbles.

You spray some water on your windows to make them sticky. Cut the bubble wrap to size, and stick it on. From the outside it just look like you have sort of tudor style wonky glass window.

It means you have no view, but it really really helps insulating. The good thing is, you can just peal off in spring and reuse the next year.

Did anyone mention thick rugs on the floor?